Word of the Day: Forgive

"原諒" (yuán liàng) is a Chinese verb that means to forgive or pardon. It is used when someone chooses not to hold a grudge or punish another for their mistake or wrongdoing. This word is commonly used when a person has caused harm, offense, or error, and the victim decides not to blame or punish them. Below is a detailed explanation of how to use "原諒" and some example sentences.

1. Basic Usage

"原諒" is typically followed by an object, which can be a person or an action. The structure is "subject + 原諒 + object."

**Example 1:** 請原諒我，我真的不是故意的。  

(Qǐng yuánliàng wǒ, wǒ zhēn de bù shì gùyì de.)  

Please forgive me; I didn't do it on purpose.

**Example 2:** 他們原諒了他的失誤。  

(Tāmen yuánliàngle tā de shīwù.)  

They forgave his mistake.

In Example 1, a person (我) is forgiven, while in Example 2, a mistake (他的失誤) is forgiven.

2. Asking for Forgiveness

When you need to ask for someone's forgiveness, you can use "請原諒" to express politeness and earnestness.

**Example 1:** 我為昨天的行為向你道歉，請原諒我。  

(Wǒ wèi zuótiān de xíngwéi xiàng nǐ dàoqiàn, qǐng yuánliàng wǒ.)  

I apologize for my behavior yesterday; please forgive me.

"請原諒我" is used when you have done something that genuinely hurt someone else. If you have only made a small mistake that caused inconvenience, "請原諒我" might be too formal.

3. Describing Forgiveness

"原諒" can be used to describe someone's forgiving behavior or attitude.

**Example 1:** 她總是很容易原諒別人。  

(Tā zǒng shì hěn róngyì yuánliàng biérén.)  

She is always very forgiving of others.

Since "原諒" is a verb, adverbs that modify it usually come before the verb.

4. Expressing the Result of Forgiveness

Sometimes, "原諒" is used to describe the result of forgiveness, indicating that someone has been forgiven.

**Example 1:** 他被原諒了，大家都決定不再追究。  

(Tā bèi yuánliàngle, dàjiā dōu juédìng bù zài zhuījiū.)  

He was forgiven, and everyone decided not to pursue the matter further.

Here, the grammatical point is the addition of "了" to indicate a completed action, showing that forgiveness has been granted.

5. Negative Usage

You can use "無法原諒" to indicate that someone or something is unforgivable, or "不（想）原諒" to express the speaker's unwillingness to forgive someone's actions.

**Example 1:** 他的行為真是無法原諒。  

(Tā de xíngwéi zhēn shì wúfǎ yuánliàng.)  

His behavior is truly unforgivable.

**Example 2:** 我就是不想原諒你。  

(Wǒ jiùshì bù xiǎng yuánliàng nǐ.)  

I don't want to forgive you.

"原諒" is a frequently used word in Chinese, and using it correctly can help resolve conflicts and promote understanding and reconciliation in daily conversations. I hope today's introduction will be helpful to you.